Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Topic Last Modified: 2010-07-22

The Microsoft Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer (ExRCA) can help you confirm that connectivity for your Exchange servers is configured correctly and diagnose any connectivity issues. The Remote Connectivity Analyzer Web site offers tests for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Exchange Web Services, Microsoft Office Outlook, and Internet e-mail.

Remote Connectivity Analyzer Tests

There are several tests that you can perform with the ExRCA. These tests work on Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and later versions.

The Remote Connectivity Analyzer performs tests for the following:

  • Exchange ActiveSync

  • Exchange Web Services

  • Outlook

  • Internet e-mail

Exchange ActiveSync Tests

There are two tests that you can run for Exchange ActiveSync, as follows:

  • Exchange ActiveSync   This test simulates the steps that a mobile device uses to connect to the Exchange server. It performs a full synchronization against a mailbox when you enter an e-mail address, user name, and password.

  • Exchange ActiveSync Autodiscover   This test doesn't perform a full synchronization. It validates the Autodiscover service settings for Exchange ActiveSync.

Exchange Web Services Tests

The Exchange Web Services tests validate settings for many of the Exchange Web Services. To troubleshoot external access to Exchange from Entourage, Web Services Edition, use the following tests:

  • Synchronization, Notification, Availability, and Automatic Replies (OOF)   This test determines whether programs that have to access this information can connect correctly. The test runs against a specific mailbox. To perform this test, the Inbox of the account that's used must be empty.

  • Service Account Access   This test determines whether developer connections to Exchange Web Services are configured correctly. The test verifies that a service account can access a mailbox, create and delete items in that mailbox, and access it through Exchange Impersonation.

Outlook Tests

To validate settings for connectivity to Outlook, use the following tests:

  • Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP)   This test validates the connectivity for Outlook Anywhere for a specific mailbox. You can use the Autodiscover service to validate these settings or manually specify the server settings.

  • Outlook Autodiscover   This test verifies that the Autodiscover service is configured correctly for Outlook Anywhere. This test doesn't actually connect to a mailbox.

Internet E-Mail Tests

There are two Internet e-mail tests that you can run using the ExRCA, as follows:

  • Inbound SMTP E-Mail   This test confirms that you can receive an inbound SMTP message at a specified e-mail address.

  • Outbound SMTP E-Mail   This test checks your outbound IP address settings for Reverse DNS, Sender ID, and RBL checks.